Outpatient Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism: a Practical Guide

AbstractPurpose of ReviewPulmonary embolism (PE) is an ever increasing diagnosis in the emergency department.Recent FindingsTraditionally, all patients with PE were admitted to the hospital; however, with the advent of higher resolution CT scanners, more PEs of questionable clinical significance are being diagnosed. This phenomenon coupled with the emerging evidence of the safety of non-warfarin oral anticoagulants for outpatient management suggests that an alternative approach is both timely and appropriate. This paper reviews the growing body of literature supporting outpatient treatment of select patients with low risk pulmonary embolism.SummaryWe believe that with an established protocol, institutional support to include assurance of reliable and timely outpatient follow-up that select low risk PE patients can be safely discharged home.
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research